EU to allocate $170 mln to farmers over Russian food ban

(QHA) -

The European Union will provide $170 million in aid to farmers affected by a Russian ban on fruit and vegetable imports from the EU, RFE/RL reports.

The EU's Executive Commission said on August 18 that the aid would help farmers who grow tomatoes, carrots, white cabbage, peppers, cauliflower, cucumbers, mushrooms, apples, pears, berries, grapes, and kiwis.

The decision comes as Russia in early August banned imports of fruit and vegetables and some other foods from the EU and other Western countries.

The sanctions are retaliation for Western sanctions imposed against Russia over Moscow's annexation of Crimea and its role in Ukrainian crisis.

In recent years, EU countries have annually exported vegetables and fruits to Russia worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The European Commission says Russia bought 28 percent of the EU's fruit exports and more than 21 percent of its vegetable exports in 2011.